Egg-carrier.



J. LUNKE.

EGG CARRIER. APPLICATION FILED-MAR.24,19 10.

Patented July 25, 1911.

Ja/uvl wizfi 351;; g a v JOHN LUNKE, OF EVERETT, WASHINGTON.

EGG-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1911.

Application filed March 24, 1910. Serial No. 551,327.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN TJUNKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Everett, in the county of Snohomish and State of l i ashington, have invented a new and useful Egg-Carrier, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in egg carriers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of egg carriers, more especially that shown and described in Patent, No. 937,073, granted to me Aug. 10, 1909, and to cheapen the construction of the same and to increase the strength, durability and efliciency thereof.

A further object of the invention is to enable the locking spring for securing the combined tray and cover in place to be constructed of a single piece of wire, and thereby obviate the necessity of soldering or otherwise securing the terminals of the intermediate cross piece to the sides of the locking spring.

Furthermore, the invention has for its object to dispense with the staples employed in the said patent for limiting the inovei'nent of the sliding frame, and to provide limited means adapted to operate as a support for maintaining the egg carrier in a level position when the same is inverted.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a perspective view of an egg carrier, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, the egg carrier being inverted for transferring the eggs from the carrier to the paper tray or cover. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, the carrier being in an upright position. F 4: is a detail perspective view of the slidable locking spring.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

1 designates a rectangular case, designed to be constructed of wood, or other suitable material and composed of sides 2, ends 3 and a bottom a. The egg carrier may be made of different sizes, and the case 1, which is constructed of a size to carry a dozen eggs, is provided in its sides and end walls with vertical grooves 5 and (3, extending upwardly from the bottom of the carrier and tern'iinating short of the top thereof, and adapted to receive longitudinal and transverse members 7 and 8 of a filler.

The filler is designed to be constructed of paper or other suitable material, and the terminals of the longitudinal and transverse members 7 and S, which are beveled at their upper sides 9 and 10 to provide a space for the sides and ends of the collapsible paper tray and cover 11, are retained in the grooves 5 and 6 by the upper walls thereof. The terminals of the longitudinal and transverse members 7 and 8 are sprung into the short grooves 5 and 6, and may be readily sprung out of the same, and by employing the short grooves having the upper shoulders, the screws employed in the said patent for securing the filler within the egg carrier are dispensed with. The filler, which forms pockets or cells for the reception of the eggs, is arranged upon a false bottom 13, constructed of paper or other suitable ma terial and supported by transverse cleats 14, arranged at intervals and located beneath the transverse members of the filler. The false bottom 18 is provided at the center of the pockets or cells with openings 15, forming seats for the reception of the eggs, and the bottom for the case is also provided with openings 16, located directly beneath the openings of the false bottom.

The paper tray, which is preferably constructed, as illustrated and described in the said patent, is collapsible to enable a large number of trays to be compactly stored in a small space. The tapered upper portion of the filler is adapted to receive the tray in an inverted position, the tray being designed to form a cover for the carrier and being retained in place by a slidable locking spring 17, composed of spaced sides 18, an intermediate connecting portion 19 and an end connecting portion 20. The slidable locking spring is constructed of a single piece of resilient wire, or other suitable material, and the sides 18 are arranged in exterior horizontal guide grooves 21, lo-

cated a short distance below the upper edges of the side walls of the case. The intermediate connecting portion 19, which extends across the top of the egg carrier, is connected by approximately L-shaped arms 22 forming spring bends and extending horizontally from the terminals of the intermediate connecting portion to points above the rear ends of the sides and then downwardly to the latter. The connecting end portion is preferably formed by the terminals of the wire, which are bowed outwardly at their ends at 23, and soldered or otherwise secured together. The downwardly extending portions of the L-shaped arms are bent inward slightly to arrange the spaced sides in the guide grooves 21, and the resiliency of the L-shaped arms or spring bends retains the sides of the locking spring firmly in the guide grooves, so that there is no liability of the sides accidentally springing laterally out of engagement with the said grooves.

The sliding movement of the locking frame is limited by stops 24, consisting of extensions of the front and rear end walls 3 of the ease. The ends 3 project above the plane of the upper edges of the sides of the case and their upper edges are arranged in substantially flush relation with the upper edge or face of the intermediate connecting portion of the slidable locking frame, and when the egg carrier is inverted, the projecting portions of the ends form supports for the same and maintain the carrier in a level position. The projecting upper portions of the ends 3 of the case obviate the necessity of employing the staples of the said patent, and they constitute rigid means for limiting the movement of the locking spring.

The paper tray or cover is engaged by the inner or intermediate connecting portion of the locking spring, and when it is desired to remove the eggs from the carrier, the latter is inverted to permit the eggs to rest upon the tray and the'slidable frame is drawn outwardly to carry the inner or intermediate connecting portion to the front of the case for releasing the cover or tray. The egg carrier is then lifted 0d the tray leaving the eggs thereon. The egg carrier may be held in a horizontal position upon the supporting surface in removing the eggs, and the hand does not have to be placed beneath the tray for this purpose. The projecting portions of the ends sustain the weight of the case and relieve the locking frame of the pressure of the same and enable the locking device to be operated with greater ease.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An egg carrier including a rectangular case provided in the outer faces of two of its walls with guide grooves and having its two other walls extended upward at the ends of the grooves to form stops and to provide projecting supporting portions, and a locking frame slidable in the grooves and having a cover engaging portion operating between the stops, the latter retaining the lockingv frame in the grooves and also serving to support the case to relieve the locking frame of the weight thereof when the egg carrier is inverted.

2. An egg carrier including a case provided at opposite sides with exterior grooves and having extended front and rear walls forming stops, and a slidable locking frame constructed of a single piece of resilient material and composed of spaced sides operating in the grooves and projecting from the terminals thereof at one end of the case, an inner connecting portion extending across the case and having spring bends connected. with the inner or rear ends of the sides, the said connecting portion being arranged to be engaged by the projecting portions of the front and rear walls, said projecting portions forming supports for the case to relieve the locking .rame of pressure when the carrier is inverted, and an outer portion connecting the sides beyond the case and. forming a handle.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN LUNKE.

Witnesses J. \V. OYEN, Joey FURNnss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

-Washington, D. G. 

